Sierra Grande is 8-1 against Cotopaxi since February of 2015 and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Saturday. Having just played yesterday, the Sierra Grande Panthers will get right back to it and host the Cotopaxi Pirates at 5:30 p.m. Each of these teams will be battling to keep a four-game winning streak alive.
Sierra Grande is headed into the match after thoroughly thrashing Creede: they outscored them in every quarter. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that Sierra Grande blew Creede out of the water with a 67-18 final score. The Panthers have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won five contests by 38 points or more this season.
| 01/24/25 vs Creede | 27 |
| 01/16/25 @ Lake City Community | 22 |
| 01/11/25 @ Antonito | 22 |
Sierra Grande relied on the efforts of Jadyn Martinez, who went 10 for 19 en route to 27 points along with seven boards and six steals, and Aron Ojeda, who went 8 of 16 on his way to 19 points in addition to eight steals and five rebounds. Martinez's evening made it three games in a row in which he has scored at least ten points. Another player making a difference was Carlos Lopez, who posted four points.
Sierra Grande smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 15 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 14 offensive boards in seven consecutive games.
Meanwhile, Cotopaxi made easy work of South Park on Thursday and carried off a 51-27 victory. The matchup was pretty much decided by the half, when the score had already reached 33-8.
Sierra Grande better focus on containing Terrance Evans and Kenny Teter as the pair were huge in Cotopaxi's win. Evans dropped a double-double on 17 points and ten rebounds, while Teter dropped a double-double on 12 points and 13 boards. Evans has been hot for a while, having also posted two or more steals the last 27 times he's played. Joel Tezak was another key player, putting up ten points.
Cotopaxi pushed their record up to 6-2 with the win, which was their fourth straight at home. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 53.0 points per game. As for Sierra Grande, their victory bumped their record up to 8-2.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Sierra Grande has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 33.4 boards per game. However, it's not like Cotopaxi struggles in that department as they've been averaging 33.6 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Everything came up roses for Sierra Grande against Cotopaxi in their previous matchup back in February of 2022, as the team secured a 74-20 win. Will Sierra Grande repeat their success, or does Cotopaxi have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
